Kat's Notebook » deals around town

Shopping Designer Labels

Katkat — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:06:55 +0000

Watching Project Runway, hearing big fashion names like Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Cavalli, Dolce and Gabbana, and seeing high-end stores in malls like French Connection, Theory, BCBGMaxAzria make me yearn to own a high-end designer clothing. I admit I’m a shopaholic but I have never crossed that line of buying hundreds of dollars for a clothing piece yet. I’m not that extravagant or impractical. I love a good bargain, I love 168, I love discount coupons, and outlet malls. At present when I need to look for a dress I hit Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, or Macys. I’ve never set foot on Neiman Marcus yet because the spending bracket there is higher.

In my habitual online window shopping, I stumbled upon “Designer Labels up to 70% off”. I am always skeptic about these links however when Purseblog posted about Chanel (I’ve been dreaming of owning a chanel bag) selling 70%

off in a particular website, I was hooked. I was directed to a link and since it’s a members-only website, I entered my information to get membership. It’s like the door to Ali baba’s cave and “open sesame” revealed wonderful treasures of authentic designer apparel at HUGE discount. In a matter of 1 hour I subscribed to 3 links with similar MO. Now I’m a proud member of these shops:

1. Ruelala.com

2. Ideeli.com

3. HauteLook.com

4. Gilt.com

5. Ivorytrunk.com

Clothes that normally SRP for 200+USD, they sell for under 100USD. Not only do they sell clothes, but also bags, shoes, kid’s clothes, men’s clothes, gifts, jewelry, watches, and discounts in high-end vacation places. I thought their items were not authentic but from the forums people who bought from these shops were confirming the items are genuine. My most fave links are Ruelala, ideeli, and gilt. The feature sales of the other 2 are not that great.

What I don’t like about these web shops are the shipping fee. There’s a 10USD charge for shipping and there’s no refund but only shopping credit. The disadvantage too with online shopping is the limitation to know if the fit is right. I bought 2 items already and hopefully they’re perfect fit because I don’t want to return them and incur only a shopping credit.

Everyday these links have new sales which they email to me. I love going to their websites and browse through the numerous sales even though I’m not going to buy anything. Yet sometimes a particular item will catch my eye and unfortunately it’s sold out because these items are extremely low-priced and other shoppers just take advantage and act fast.

Happy shopping people!

Coldstone Creamery coupon

Katkat — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:55:11 +0000

I am a big fan of Coldstone Creamery Ice Cream. I don’t care that their signature collection ice cream costs more than the price of a half-gallon of grocery ice cream. It’s worth it!!! My favorite flavors are Strawberry Banana Rendezvous and Cheesecake Fantasy on a waffle cone. For those who share my love for this fabulous ice cream brand, here’s a link to a 20% off coupon. Be warned: try calling the store first and ask if they accept the coupon because a lot of the stores I called haven’t heard about this coupon. But it’s really a legitimate coupon. This coupon expires on 6/30/10. Find the link to print the coupon here.

Enjoy!

Half-off!

Katkat — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:10:17 +0000

Who doesn’t love a good discount? Unless you’re born with a silver spoon and have a loathing for money, I guess the word “discount” is something we relish. As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, you need to be resourceful if you want to get the most out of your purchase. In the SF Bay Area, there are lots of discounts, freebies to be had if you try to look for it. I just love the internet!

Among the free stuffs I found are:

1. restaurant.com – discount gift certificates in many Bay Area restaurants

2. free admittance to California Academy of Sciences every 3rd Wednesday of the month

3. free tickets to Disneyland by volunteering

So here’s another great deal for you SF Bay Area people:

1. Free Pass to Exploratorium – free pass every 1st Wednesday of the month.

2. Ticket Bay Area – gives out discounted tickets to theater plays.

3. Bay Area Half Off – offers half off gift certificates for restaurants, activities, shopping, etc. Some are even 75% off!

4. San Francisco Perks – another online site which offers 50% discount gift certificates for various fun activities and restaurants.

Among the exciting offers I want to try are:

1. San Francisco City Kayak – $100 gift certificate is on sale for $25 only!

2. Zip car driving – $75 GC now $18.25

3. GoKart Racing – hopefully they will offer this GC again

4. Hornblower Cruises – not yet up but a great bargain for a special date.

Of course some restrictions apply in the GCs and the websites are totally secure so payment is not a problem. So if you think living in the SF Bay Area is expensive, well…it can be. But the trick is be resourceful! Just google it!

The perfect boyfriend blazer

Katkat — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:39:32 +0000

I’m still in search for the perfect boyfriend blazer or just plain trendy black blazer. I gave up on the boyfriend blazer (although a part of me is still looking) because my height won’t make me look good with long blazer. I’m only 5” 1’ and long blazer makes me look smaller and dwarfed.

When I say perfect blazer – it means tailored cut, sophisticated fabric, right size, and fashion forward. Scratch out those jersey type blazers or something that will make me look that I’m going to the office. What I wanted is a perfect accessory for my sleeveless top, dark wash skinny jeans, and 4 inch stilleto shoes.

A casual outfit is made trendy and sophisticated with cool looking jacket. As they said an outfit is plain and boring without accessories.

I will call my hunt the search for dinner blazer. A dinner blazer is a good investment since you can pair it with a dress or jeans. It instantly upgrades the look. Boyfriend blazers are great if your tall. I saw a salesgirl at Nordstrom wearing the boyfriend blazer that I’ve tried on which didn’t inspire my look because of my height but fits her perfectly because she’s tall and voila, with that jacket on, she’s so fierce-looking! I just envy her.

I’ve already bought 6 blazers and returned 6. Nothing fits my petite frame. Of course I haven’t considered buying those USD100plus blazers yet. I’m not that desperate for a blazer! Although that $135 BEBE jacket is making me rethink my decision. All the blazers I’ve tried have problems with size or cut – the bust area is big, my shoulder looks manly, the hem is too long, the cut is too straight and not sexy, and what’s with the coat-tail?

I’m 5”1’ and skinny. I don’t wear heels often so my blazers should go well with flats. Here are my ideal blazers characteristics:

1. black

2. not cheap fabric – no jersey, rayon, office blazer fabric

3. cropped sleeves – this kind of sleeve is just so sexy

4. good cut and hem should fall just above my hips

5. good lapel – not too narrow and not too wide

6. not super padded shoulder because I don’t want to have man-shoulders.

7. nice frame and structure/silhouette

If your on the hunt too, here are some suggested stores with dinner/boyfriend blazers at reasonable prices:

nordstrom.com

bloomingdales.com

bebe.com

Happy shopping!

Free tickets to Disneyland!

Katkat — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:56:00 +0000

Want a free ticket to Disneyland? This year, Disneyland is giving away free tickets when you donate your time to a charity they’re supporting. Volunteering is no biggie for me. I like helping out. It’s my way of giving and way of having a social life.

Here’s how to get free Disney tickets:

Sign up in their website to get an account. Search for volunteer opportunities listed in their sites. When you see an available slot for an event your interested in, click on that and follow the instructions that pop out after. Only 1 person per ticket regardless of the number of volunteer services he/she gives. The whole family can volunteer and each one can earn a free 1-day Disney pass. There is age restrictions however for certain volunteer opportunities. The tickets are good at any 1 day for the whole year (but check for block-out dates) and you can use at to one of the theme parks of Walt Disney World® Resort or the Disneyland® Resort. Hurry limited tickets only and volunteer slots are disappearing fast!

I’ve already signed up for February and I’m so excited to help out. It really pays to do good so… If you want to learn more about Disney Give a Day Get a Disney Day program, click here.

BuzzNet Tags: Disneyland Resort,Disney World Resort,Walt Disney World Resort,Disneyland

Eat, drink and be merry at Restaurant.com

Katkat — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:06:48 +0000

Living in the Bay Area there are thousands of restaurants everywhere. They are enticing, well-reviewed, and interesting. But for us, we seldom go out and explore and eat out because budget is tight. The only time I get to eat out is during family celebrations or outing with friends. But that’s also on a budget. Would it be heavenly if one could eat out, enjoy and not worry about the cost of the meal? Sad to say, not in my reality. However typical of Americans, there are places that give discounts on restaurants, activities, hotels and etc without any strings attached! I just love these companies.

Restaurant.com offers gift certificates for numerous restaurants at different places (not only in the Bay Area) at half to 80% of the price! I can purchase a $25 gift certificate for only 2USD and use it at any restaurants listed in their website. That’s a good deal! I can eat a $25 meal and actually paid only $2! Eat hearty then! I’ve already stocked up certificates just so when my family decides to eat out or when I’m with friends. This no hoax! This has been going on for a long time and a lot of people have used it. The customer service is really helpful and nice. The catch…ummm…well with gift certifcates come some restrictions. Some restaurants will require a minimum food purchase, or can be used only for certain time of the day eg. dinner or lunch, or it’s only applicable to food and not drinks – just little stuffs. But overall it is still a great bargain. Sign up for their newsletter and receive news alert when they slash off their price to 80%!

So for food lovers, food connoisseur-wannabe, food critic, Restaurant.com is worth trying!

Free ride to the California Academy of Sciences

Katkat — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:12:23 +0000

It’s always great to get free stuffs. Here in the US, I find that if you’re resourceful enough, you can get a great bargain on a lot of things and sometimes it’s even free! That’s how we arrived at the doorstep of California Academy of Sciences. This museum is a leading edge research and educational institute. It is open to the public and entrance tickets are priced at 25USD. But during the 3rd Wednesday of the month, it opens its door for free. This is how we get into the museum.

The California Academy of Sciences is located at 55 Music Concourse Dr.Golden Gate Park San Francisco. The Academy is driven by two burning questions: 1) How did life on Earth develop? 2) How will we sustain life on Earth? The theme inside this building centers around the interdependence of earth, ocean and space. It houses an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum. It is really a great educational place. Great for kids and students. But for me, I discovered that I’m too old for such museum. My father loved it though. I’m more into photo-op moments and not so much about the learning.

Despite my disinterest, I still enjoyed learning about new stuffs like the 250million year old turtles which is the size of a hill or the albino crocodile and the humongous anaconda. We visited the aquarium – which is ok for me (because I’ve visited a lot of aquariums already this year that I feel like there’s nothing new) and the Kimball Natural History museum which has life size statues of animals. We weren’t able to go inside the planetarium because it needs passes and the line is just too long and also the rainforest which has that weird solar panels on top of the roof.

My dad likes to return there again with my mom. I would also like to complete the tour by visiting the places I haven’t visited. When you go outside the museum there are the SF botanical garden and the Japanese garden. There are tickets for touring them. It’s nice to idle around the museum especially on a warm day. Anyway, if you want to know more about California Academy of Sciences, click here.

Enjoying a Halloween symphony orchestra performance

Katkat — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:59:04 +0000

One of the events I volunteer for is the occasional symphony orchestra production in this community college near our city. The Redwood Symphony orchestra has earned great reviews for their fantastic performances played by an all-volunteer orchestra. What better way to infuse “sophisticated culture” in my life, right? The orchestra plays at Canada College where my younger brother is attending his class. Considering it’s not a “professional” orchestra, meaning, they’re not paid to play, there is always a huge turn-out of crowd in every performance. Crowd ranges from young adolescent to the senior citizens. Ticket is priced from $0 (for faculty and students of the college) to $20 (adults). A seasonal pass can also be purchased and there is discount for students and senior citizens.

Twice in a year, the orchestra has a special program for the community. They have the Summer Concert and the Halloween Concert. I’ve been to their Halloween concert before and I tremendously enjoyed it. The music caters for the kids particularly families and people in the theater are dressed in their costumes, especially the orchestra. This year, I was able to volunteer again for their special Halloween concert and the event was just awesome.

The line-up of the performances were:

Gounod: Funeral March for a Marionette
Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
Rodriguez: A Colorful Symphony
with Valerie Sarfaty, narrator
Hayman: Pops Hoedown

: the orchestra in costumes

best costume!

eric kujawsky, the conductor

The orchestra is really amazing. They play really great musical compositions. Have you listened to a music that is so well-tuned and well-played that it just brings smile to your face? They are so inspiring that it makes me want to take up violin lessons. I never really appreciate classical/orchestra music. But watching it live and seeing all those musical instruments working together to make beautiful music is outstanding and gives me goosebumps sometimes.

Redwood Symphony

For more information about the Redwood symphony, click here.

VNC free coupon

Katkat — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:43:01 +0000

I love VNC. Many of my shoes are bought from that store. VNC is a southeast asian (Malaysia) shoe company. It offers interesting design of women shoes which I do not find on many shoe stores. Its style is pretty much girly which suits my taste really well. When I was in the States, I always hesitate to buy shoes there because in the back of my mind, I thought I can always buy something prettier at VNC. Unfortunately I was VNC-deprived for more than a year while I was in the States. I couldn’t even find a website which can offer me a catalogue of their shoes. So I didn’t buy shoes at all.

Then I stumble upon vncphil.multiply.com. For VNC lovers out there, finally we can view their shoe collection online. I don’t know if the Philippine collection is different from the collection of other VNC asian stores. But one thing for sure, Philippine’s VNC is much pricier than the ones in Singapore or Malaysia. Joining the group also informs the member of sale alerts, discount perks, and VNC news.

In addition to, I got this coupon for joining the vncphil group. Simple print the coupon and present this to VNC stores in the Philippines to avail of P200 discount on your regular-priced item shoes. Hurry for coupon is valid only until August 31, 2009.